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POSTERS and 
POSTER MAKING 



NEW YORK CITY 






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Copyright, 1920, by 

STUDENT VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT 

FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS 



MAR 1 9 1920 

©CU566113 



POSTERS and 
POSTER MAKING 

This pamphlet has been produced in response to a wide 
spread demand on the part of students for suggestions as 
to the use of posters in their plans for missionary educa- 
tion. It is limited in its field; it is not technical; it is by 
no means exhaustive or conclusive; it aims rather to be 
suggestive and to stimulate that skill and originality in 
poster making which so many students possess. 

Several books on advertising have been most useful in 
compiling this pamphlet. They are quoted frequently and 
students who are interested in going into a more thorough 
study of the subject will find the books listed below of 
fascinating interest and of great practical value. 

Psychological Advertising. By J. V. Breitwieser. 

Apex Book Co., Colorado Springs, Colo $0.80 

Modern Advertising. By Calkins and Holden. 

Appleton & Co., New York 1.50 

The Typography of Advertising. By Trezise. The 

Inland Printer Co., Chicago, 111 2.00 

The Psychology of Advertising. By W. D. Scott. 

Small, Maynard & Co., Boston, Mass 2.00 

Modern Show Card Lettering, Design and Adver- 
tising Phrases. By W. A. Thompson. W. A. 

Thompson, Pontiac, Mich 1.00 

The A B C of Exhibit Planning. By Routzahn. 

Russell Sage Foundation, New York City.... 1.50 

Why Posters? 

The first and most obvious work of a poster 
is to attract attention. This, however, does not 
mean that it must be bizarre or ultra-conspicu- 

3 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

ous. One advertiser remarks truly that "people 
do not like to be clubbed into reading a thing 
through the use of brutally large and black let- 
ters." The poster that really attracts attention 
will be simple, well proportioned and harmo- 
nious. 

A poster's second reason for being is to arouse 
interest or curiosity. It will start something 
going in the mind of the observer, which prob- 
ably would not have been started without this 
stimulus. Posters often succeed in creating a 
public opinion on the campus as no other method 
succeeds in doing. 

The third thing which a poster should do is to 
suggest action. Why were Liberty Loan and 
War Work posters scattered broadcast over the 
land? In order that they might not only get a 
large amount of attention and interest, but also 
leave impressions which would be largely instru- 
mental in securing from the public the where- 
withal to carry on the War and Welfare 
Work. And that precisely is what they ac- 
complished. "Interest is the great factor 
which often leads us to so-called acts of will." 
Remember — 85% of all knowledge is gained 
through the eye, and graphic presentation of 
facts is not only the quickest way to penetrate 
the consciousness of the observer; it is often the 
surest way of leaving a permanent impression. 

It is obvious, then, that so useful a factor as 
the poster should not be omitted from a program 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

of missionary education which aims to capture 
attention, interest and action in behalf of the 
world operations and opportunities of Chris- 
tianity. 

Some Fundamental Principles. 

If posters are to accomplish what we have 
just claimed for them, certain principles — "do's" 
and "don'ts" must be kept in mind. 

1. Knoiv Your Constituency. 

How do the people on your campus feel and 
think? What are their special interests? What 
kind of approach can you make to them? Ac- 
cording to experts in this line, the arguments you 
use should be such as are easily associated with 
the personal interests and the former experi- 
ences of the group with whom you are con- 
cerned. "An apt illustration, a striking analogy, 
going from a well known fact to one not so well 
known"- — these are all important things to con- 
sider. 

2. Let one poster express one idea. 

A poster is neither an essay nor a sermon, 
but an exposition of a single idea, set forth as 
graphically as possible. 

3. Be Brief. 

Make the fewest words tell the most possible. 
The artists who produced posters for the Red 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

Cross and Liberty Loan Campaigns decided that 
the maximum number of words to a poster should 
be ten. For the subject which we have under 
consideration, perhaps a maximum of twenty-five 
words would not be too many. If brevity is the 
soul of wit, it is also the soul of the "pep" and 
"punch" which the average American or Can- 
adian likes to see in posters. 

4. Let facts speak for themselves. 

Make your appeal to the emotions without 
preaching or moralizing, and avoid cheap senti- 
mentality. "Anything will be remembered which 
wakens our emotions, whether beautiful or ugly, 
whether it causes us to smile or to sympathize 
with the sorrows of others." There are many 
pictures and strong statements which will 
awaken sympathy — "a particular mental attitude 
which is induced by realizing that someone else 
is going through that particular experience." 
But use these without the addition of "sob stuff." 
Let them make their own appeal to the intelli- 
gence and the idealism of students. 

5. Use suggestion. 

One authority says that this is the most pow- 
erful factor in advertising; he defines a sugges- 
tion as "a thought which seems to be aroused 
by an individual in his own mind, but which 
really comes from some external source." Sug- 
gest whatever you wish to your observer, but 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

don't insult his intelligence by telling him what 
you want him to see. 

6. Get a good "mahe-wp" 

A rectangle, in the ratio of three to five has 
been found the most pleasing form for a pos- 
ter. Break up your wording into short lines and 
vary these with different sizes of lettering. The 
first and last parts of a poster or advertisement 
impress us the most and are remembered long- 
est; therefore, the "big ideas" requiring empha- 
sis should usually come at the beginning and at 
the end. Borders are of great importance as 
they serve to keep the eye movement within a 
given space and thus help to concentrate atten- 
tion. 

7. Use illustrations freely. 

A picture or drawing may be used in any of 
the following ways: 

(a) As a graphic representation. In such a case it 
is valuable in so far as it actually tells a story better 
than words could do it. 

(b) To illustrate a statement made in the wording 
of the poster. 

(c) To create atmosphere or local color. This might 
apply, for example, to a poster advertising a meeting, 
but should be used with care; the picture might create 
a different atmosphere from that desired by the speaker. 
If a picture is to be used it should be placed so as to 
attract the eye toward the printed matter on the poster. 
Silhouettes and marginal sketches are very striking and 
are often used to good advantage. 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

8. Be sparing of statistics. 

These are sometimes valuable, but should be 
used moderately. They make more impression 
if used in contrast or comparison with other 
statistics. As a rule they should be put in sen- 
tence form, rather than in statistical tables, or 
expressed graphically. Occasionally a large 
number has a certain headline value. For in- 
stance, "400,000,000" at the top of a panel re- 
ferring to China's population, arouses a certain 
amount of curiosity and makes an immediate 
impression by reason of its vastness. 

9. Be original. 

Individuality and originality are much to be 
desired, but freakishness and crudeness are as 
much to be avoided. The dignity of the subject 
should never be sacrificed in the effort to make 
a striking poster. 

10. Be explicit. 

"Choose a method of visualization that is 
capable of only one interpretation and that the 
right one." 

11. Tell the truth. 

Never make a statement on a poster without 
verifying it. One author devotes a whole chapter 
in his book to the subject of "Honesty" as applied 
to advertising. This cannot be urged too strong- 
ly : In maKmg posters, tell the truth first, last, 
and all the time. 

8 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

12. Make your poster carry conviction. 

One author, quoted several times herein, says: 
"Believe in your product and your faith will show 
itself in your copy. ,, If an advertiser lays this 
down as a principle for men who are dealing 
in soap, hardware, and automobiles, what appli- 
cation has it for us, who have a far bigger thing 
to present to our public? 

Producing the Poster. 

Anything worth while costs something in 
money, time or thought — perhaps all three. And 
anjrthing so worth while as enlarging the horizon 
of the college campus will require a little money, 
some time and a good deal of thought. 

1. The Committee. 

Once started, a poster campaign should be 
carried through with as much "pep" as a Liberty 
Loan .Drive. "Don't start anything you can't 
finish !" It should be the work of a committee 
with a vision, a plan and an efficient leader. The 
chairman, of course, is the general overseer and 
manager of the campaign and each member of 
the committee, usually a sub-committee of the 
Missionary or World Fellowship Department, 
should have his special part of the work, along 
one of the following lines : 

(a) Collecting Material. This needs a research worker 
who digs up the "big ideas," interesting news, statistics, 
and other material. 

9 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

(b) Drafting the Copy. This requires someone to work 
the material into shape and make up the "copy" for 
graphic presentation. 

(c) Making the Poster. The actual work of making 
the poster calls for some degree of artistic ability. 

Any college has students who are good at one or all 
of these specialties. It is the business of the Poster 
Committee to discover them and set them to work. The 
Committee should learn to recognize what material to 
take and what to leave. Experience teaches one how to 
boil down material into display form. 

2. The materials. 

In order that the cause that is being promoted 
may be presented attractively and emphatically, 
it is essential that the right kind of materials 
be used. Otherwise the results may not be artis- 
tic enough to command the respect of the critical. 

(1) Cards and Paper. 

Various kinds of cards and paper are available. 
Ordinary show cards, such as are seen in store 
windows can be obtained from paper houses or 
printers' shops. These are generally white, but 
other colors are usually available and are often 
more desirable. A rough surface, such as one 
finds on mat boards, is better than the smooth 
finish of the regular show cards. Most cards of 
this kind come in the standard sizes of 22"x28" 
and cost from 15c to 30c apiece. There is another 
size, not so common, 30"x40". Some very good 
effects can be produced by using ordinary Man- 
ila or wrapping paper. Butcher's paper — the 

10 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

kind found in butcher shops — may also be used. 
These papers are very inexpensive and often 
produce even better effects than show cards or 
mat boards. Strawboard and card middles may 
also be used to good effect ; these can be obtained 
at printers' shops very cheaply. Book binders 
also carry good stock for posters. 

(2) Brushes. 

To do good work, your artist should have 
a brush of good quality, one that will hold its 
shape well. "Any old brush" will not do. Red 
Sable show-card brushes are the best for all 
round work. These range in size from two to 
three-eighths flat stroke, but three or four 
brushes should be sufficient to cover the work 
required. The following sizes are suggested: 
Two, six, twelve, and three-eighths, flat stroke. 
The cost of such brushes ranges according to 
size from 20 cents to $1.50 each. They can be 
bought at Art or Stationery Shops. Japanese 
brushes are also excellent for work where a fine 
point is needed. 

(3) Colors and Color Combinations. 

Flat surface water colors are best and most 
convenient to use. They come in bottles at 20c 
each. About eighteen colors and shades are avail- 
able. Some of the best makes are Ruxton's Moist 
Water Colors for poster and show card work; 
Bissel's Show Card Colors, and Spectrum Poster 

11 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

Colors. These can be obtained at Art and Sta- 
tionery Shops. Crayons and shading pens also 
produce some good effects. 

Recently some good posters were exhibited in 
which the following color combinations occurred. 
Gray card board; yellow lettering with white 
edges. Brown Manila paper; hemisphere of the 
world in white paint, continents in black, orange 
lettering in wording of poster. Brown Manila 
paper; hemisphere in orange, continents the col- 
or of the paper, lettering in black. Gray card; 
black lettering, pasted on an inch border of dark 
green. Brown Manila paper; lettering in white 
and dark blue, pasted on a border of dark blue. 
Brown Manila paper; lettering in black and 
green, pasted on dark green border. 

(4) Ready-made Illustrations. 

Now and then amateur artists can be found 
in college who make good, original illustrations 
and cartoons. These are somewhat rare, but by 
all means any who may be available should be 
pressed into service. Considering the probable 
scarcity of time and talent, the best thing to do 
is to call heavily upon ready-made illustrations. 
There are various magazines that will yield good 
material, but the following are outstanding ex- 
amples : 

(a) "World Outlook," the Organ of the Interchurch 
World Movement, 18th St. and 6th Ave, New York City, 
$2.00. It has world facts and a wealth of missionary pic- 
tures. The Poster Committee should subscribe for it, to 

12 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

use for posters. Cut out pictures and paste them on 
your card in artistic arrangement, letting your artist 
work out the lettering. Several good things have been 
done with the World Outlook by committees that knew 
how to use it. 

(b) "Missionary Review of the World," Missionary 
Review Publishing Company, 156 Fifth Ave., New York 
City, $2.50. This is probably the best magazine for 
missionary information and current events in the mission 
world. Contains numerous illustrations, maps and charts. 

(c) "Asia," Journal of the American Asiatic Associa- 
tion, South and Water Streets, Baltimore, Md., $3.00. 
Contains many excellent illustrations and maps. 

(d) Denominational Missionary Magazines. Some of 
these are well illustrated. 

(5) Sources of Information. 

Material should be available from which , the 
necessary facts can be secured. This material 
should be varied and reliable. In addition to the 
periodicals named above the following are sug- 
gested : 

(a) Graphic Series. Ten volumes in magazine style 
containing some splendid pictorial material, prepared 
by World Outlook Company, 18th St. and 6th Ave., New 
York City, $5.00. 

(b) Reconstruction. The Church at Home and Abroad. 
World Outlook Co., 18th St. and 6th Ave., New York 
City. Single pamphlet with good poster material. 

(c) Survey of Needs. Southern Baptist Convention, 
1103 Main St., Richmond, Va. 

(d) Survey of Needs, Northern Baptist Convention, 
Ford Bldg., Boston, Mass. 

(e) How Far Can You See? A pamphlet of the 
Foreign Department of the National Board of the Y. W. 
C. A., 600 Lexington Ave., New York City. 

13 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

(f) Outline studies of the Foreign Work of the Y. M. 
C. A. of U. S. and Canada. Condensed facts on various 
countries. No illustrations. Foreign Department, Y. M. 
C. A., 347 Madison Ave., New York City. 

(g) Foreign Missions Year Book. Published by the 
Committee of Reference and Council of the Foreign Mis- 
sions Conference of North America, 25 Madison Ave., 
New York City. 75 cents. 

Many church boards, in addition to those already re- 
ferred to, publish magazines, pamphlets and leaflets 
which will yield poster material. 

(6) Displaying the Posters. 

The bulletin board should be large enough to 
hold the standard size poster (22"x28"), with- 
out being cramped for space, and should have 
about the same proportions. If one is not al- 
ready available on the campus, a good one can 
be made by mounting a piece of cork linoleum 
on a wooden background. A thumb tack can be 
easily pushed into this material and it holds well. 
It can be secured in brown or green, either of 
which is a good color for a background. If 
cork linoleum is not to be found, use soft pine 
with a covering of burlap. A board presents a 
better appearance if it has a strip of wood or 
quarter board as a border. 

An attractive heading to remain on the board 
permanently is a good thing. This heading might 
be the subject for a series of posters or a gen- 
eral title. On a certain medical college bulletin 
board the heading for the series was "Doctoring 
the World," which was taken from one of the 
covers of the World Outlook. 

14 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

Pick out the place on the campus which most 
students pass at one time or another in the 
course of a few days. That is the place for such 
a bulletin board. 

Have a system of running posters. At one 
college the first of a series read like this: "Keep 
your eye on this board. New dope every Mon- 
day, Wednesday and Friday." This schedule was 
maintained for a semester without a break and 
the students got the habit of looking for new pos- 
ters on the days mentioned. Moreover, the board 
was kept clear of dead wood, and new ideas were 
displayed often enough to keep the interest keen. 
Two days is usually a long enough time to ex- 
hibit one poster in a series. If it is left up too 
long, students stop looking for something new, 
thinking it is "the same old thing." 

Some Practical Suggestions. 

1. For a Poster Campaign. 

Plan for a sustained poster campaign to run 
throughout the year. Ideas will stand a better 
chance of producing a lasting impression if pre- 
sented logically and with a definite connecting 
idea in mind, than if given in hit or miss fash- 
ion. 

In the first place, lay out a plan in the large. 
Decide what general subjects are to be used and 
in what order, for a nine months' campaign. Let 
the plan fit into the general program of religious 

15 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

work for the college year. The posters used dur- 
ing the times in which mission study or mission- 
ary giving is being emphasized, could well be 
an additional stimulus to these campaigns. The 
following outline is intended only as a sugges- 
tion of what might be included in a general plan. 
Obviously, it covers more than could be presented 
adequately in a school year and a selection would 
have to be made. 

(1) Needs of the Non-Christian World. 

a. By Countries. 

b. By Religions. 

c. By Special Subjects. 

1. Industrial Situation. 

2. Social Conditions. 

3. Medical Needs. 

4. Condition of Women. 

5. The Problem of Poverty. 

6. Child Life. 

(2) Forms of Missionary Work. 

a. General. 

b. Educational. 

c. Medical. 

d. Agricultural. 

e. Industrial. 

f. Y. M. C. A. and Y. W. C. A. 

g. Christian Literature. 

(3) Effect of Christian Missions. 

a. In Lives of Individuals. Use photographs of dis- 
tinguished native Christian leaders with suitable 
quotations. 

b. In Communities. Display pictures "before and 

16 



POSTERS AND FOSTER MAKING 

after" kindergartens, schools, churches, etc., en- 
ter the community, 
c. In National Life. See "The Democratic Move- 
ment in Asia," by Tyler Dennett. 

(4) The Forward Look. 

a. The Interchurch World Movement. 

b. The Forward Movements of the Churches; "The 

Centenary Movement" of the Methodists, "The 
New Era Movement" of the Presbyterians, the 
"Every Name Campaign" of the Episcopalians, 
etc. 

(5) Student Missionary Activities. 

a. What some institutions are doing to project their 

Christian influence across the world. Show how 
some universities are supporting an entire mis- 
sion: Yale in China, Princeton in Pekin, Oberlin 
in Shansi/ etc. A partial list might be given 
of institutions which are paying the salary of a 
Missionary. 

b. Distribution by countries of Missionary grad- 
uates of the institution, shown on a map of 
the world. 

c. Definite calls for different types of men and 
women workers. Write Student Volunteer Move- 
ment, 25 Madison Ave., New York City, for a 
copy of the Bulletin, and the latest urgent calls 
for workers as received from the Foreign Mis- 
sion Boards. 

2. For Advertising Special Meetings. 
"How Far Can You See?" 

Use a Chinese gateway, or some other picture giving 
a vista of regions beyond. (See cover of booklet with 
this title, issued by Foreign Department, Y. W. C. A., 

17 



POSTERS AND POSTER MAKING 

600 Lexington Ave., New York City.) Theme of meet- 
ing: A Survey of World Conditions. 

"The Dollar on the Firing Line." 

Depict an animated silver dollar (or several of them), 
doing some of the actual work in a hospital, school or 
university. Theme of meeting: The work which your 
institution is supporting, wholly or in part. 

"The Black Question Mark." 

Map of Africa, emphasizing its shape as being similar 
to that of an interrogation point. Theme of meeting: 
Will Africa become Moslem or Christian? 

"The Biggest Republic." 

Reproduce map of China in Student Volunteer Move- 
ment poster series. Theme of meeting: Democracy in 
China. 

For further suggestions as to topics, see "World 
Thinking," published by the Student Volunteer Move- 
ment, 25 Madison Ave., New York City. 



NOTE— The Exhibit at the Des Moines Convention of the Stu- 
dent Volunteer Movement contained a large variety of posters. 
More than two score of these, representing different types, are 
reproduced in the official Report of the Convention, together with 
the material, in condensed form, that was displayed on many 
others. It will repay poster committees to study these pages of 
the Report. 

18 



Some 
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